9: scabbard

Ning Ruo Gong looked at the overcast sky and sighed in his heart, “No sun today either.” It had been several days since the sun last appeared.

His accumulated energy returned to the same leisurely days.

A seagull flew towards the rock and landed on it. “Shush!” Suddenly, a loud noise came from the rock, scaring the bird away.

“Ah, hahaha,” Ning chuckled to himself. Ever since he unlocked ‘Sound,’ he could expend hundreds of energy per second to make sounds.

That single “shush” just now cost him 300 energy. However, he didn't mind. The unlocking of ‘Sound’ also brought him another change. He could now absorb energy from sound as well. More specifically, he could collect the energy of vibrating molecules that usually came with sound.

Although the ocean itself was quite calm, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks was enough for him to gather hundreds of units with each large wave. However, his location was very shallow, so the waves weren't actually that high.

“Status,” he even thought with a tired voice.

Status:

Energy: 632,000

Quest: Collect 368,000 more energy

Reward: You gain Parallel Thinking ability

Shop: Locked

The next upgrade was something called Parallel Thinking. According to the system, it would allow the user to focus on two different things simultaneously. Later, he could also purchase more mental power to shift his attention from two different things to three or four. However, the cost of each upgrade would increase exponentially.

“As long as there's a hailstorm and lightning strikes me, I'm sure I'll get hurt. I wonder how much energy lightning has? Hmm... That reminds me. Hey, System, besides sound, what's the next form of energy I can absorb?” he asked.

When you obtain a human body, you will see the next form of energy you can absorb.

“Oh, so that means it's not that far away, right?” he asked.

The system cannot confirm how far away the unlock is.

“Regardless,” he was happy that he would soon gain the ability to become human. “Hmm... I wonder if I have to possess another human to get a body, or if the system will give me a new one.” The system didn't answer. Days passed, and finally, the sunny day he wanted arrived. The warm feeling on his twenty-meter-wide body was truly wonderful.

As he basked in the sun, he suddenly heard something whooshing through the air.

“No way!!!” he thought. He followed the sound and saw two people flying towards him from the sea. Just as they were about to reach him, a large fish jumped out of the water and bit one of them.

However, the individuals seemed prepared. They immediately dodged and began attacking with various magical spells. The battle was closer to him now, and Ning could see it clearly.

“Woah,” he couldn't help but be captivated by the battle. The cultivators were powerful, but that fish was no slouch either. It suddenly jumped out of the water again and slapped one of them with its tail.

“Oh,” Ning secretly gasped. He was quite sure that blow just now broke the person's right arm. The person tried to stabilize himself in the air, but his body was somewhat shaky. The person was now right near Ning, so he could clearly see the injured arm.

However, the man didn't cry or even make a sound. He just looked at the fish, which was distracted by the other cultivator, and drew his sword from the hilt at his waist.

The sword began to emit a terrifying crimson glow. He quickly threw it towards the fish, and his arm alone produced multiple sonic booms.

You have gained 102,366 energy.

“Woah! Just one of his attacks, the sound itself gave me 100K energy. If that thing actually hit me, how much energy would I get?” he wondered.

The sword accurately struck the fish monster's head, blowing off a chunk of its skull. The other cultivator was panting, clearly tired from fighting the fish monster alone.

“Relax.”

“Soi.”

They spoke in a language he didn't understand again. They slowly flew towards him and sat on the rock to rest. He could finally see them clearly.

Both individuals looked to be in their forties. The man with the broken arm finally showed a pained expression. Suddenly, a small round ball appeared in his hand.

“Is that a pearl?” he asked in confusion. The man suddenly put it in his mouth and swallowed it.

“Wow, what was that?” he asked curiously. The system didn't seem to answer any of his questions, so he wondered if this was also related to cultivation.

Suddenly, the man's completely mangled arm began to deform, slowly returning to a clean and intact state. The only thing damaged was his clothes.

The man collapsed to the ground, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Hmm…” Ning felt something poking him somewhere on his body. He looked and found it was the man's sword, or more accurately, the scabbard.

“Wait,” he thought, “that's an object touching me, right? Hey, System. Can I transfer my consciousness into that scabbard?” he asked excitedly.

This will cost you 5,000 energy. Are you willing?

Do it.

Confirmed.

Suddenly, he felt his entire consciousness shift from one body to another. Vision and proprioception were the two senses that gave him the most trouble, as they required time to adapt.

Once adapted, he looked around and finally saw the rock he had been living on for weeks. The two individuals slowly flew up, and Ning felt his body become lighter. He looked in the direction the two cultivators were flying.

“South Continent! Here I come.”